Of Vultures and Butterflies
by lnori
Summary: The only constant is change. And time has seen to it that nothing stays without motion for too long, not even love. Yet, it's said that if people are meant to be together, they will always find a way, be it through space or time. /Yunoha & Jin/


1.

The streets of the red planet sing a playful song, as if to welcome the incoming season. The air is cool, the leaves are beginning to waltz towards Mother Earth and everything seems to prepare for the incoming autumn.

Shy steps echo on the seemingly empty streets, her small heels taking no precaution of the tapping sound her thin legs make whenever they reach the concrete. Step after step, she looks around, taking in the ever-changing view of the same streets, of the same buildings. The change is small, it's happening in baby steps, but what matters most is, that it happens at all.

Ever since that final battle, against Mikage, the twin planets became close, albeit it didn't happen overnight. Since Altair hasn't changed her orbit, and after things have calmed down, it appeared to show the exact inhabitancy as Vega, so it wasn't that difficult to come to a mutual understanding.

Kagura, now serving as the Governor over Altair, has recently come to a final peace offering between the two sisters, making sure no abductions would happen from now on and that either Altarian or Vegan was free to choose where they desired to spend their lives.

Of course, not many were eager to move to Altair, due to the huge amount of gossip and rumours, not to say that women were the most afraid. The mere thought of moving to a world inhabited by men and all the possible dangers facing them simply made most of the women remain on Vega.

Then, there was her.

The shy beauty, who was most of the time alone, or surrounded by golden pages of old books and their antique scents. She was among the first to move, after graduation from the academy, and even after those years, she did not regret her decision, not even once. The desire to know more about him and his world overcame her mind a long time ago, and she couldn't resist the opportunity to move, first thing after graduating.

The time they spent together was not enough, and no matter how many times she runs through her memories of him, it never seems to be enough. Nothing could satiate her thirst to find out more about him, to grasp onto him however she can, be it the streets he walked on, the air he breathed, the buildings he gazed upon. Anything would do, as long as it made her not feel alone.

A sigh leaves her soft lips and she runs her tongue over them, while tucking a rebel lock behind her ear. _I should cut my hair_ , Yunoha notes to self, finding it slightly annoying, that her curls could under no way be tamed. Then again, it is also mainly her fault for not attending properly to her hair, thorough all these years.

 _I wonder what he'd say about it, though. Would he like it? Or would he want me to cut it also?_ The young woman ponders lightly, a small smile on her lips, her heels echoing down the street. Over the years, she's come to make imaginary conversation with him, thinking of him and guessing what his answer would be. Of course, she has no idea whether he'd say those things or not, but it keeps her warm at night, so it will do.

Yunoha works at a library, at Altair's capital, and it's more or less the perfect job for her. Fighting alongside her friends was an amazing experience, but she's not a fighter, she's not suited for it. Of course, she would always answer the call if she was ever needed, but...

She's not a lover either. Every relationship she tried to have ever since _him_ ended in heartbreak – for them. It's as if her heart has been shut out from the world, and nothing can creep through. No matter how much they cared about her, Yunoha could never bring herself to share some of that affection. And she should have felt bad about it, but she didn't.

Her heart died alongside him.

Reaching the library, Yunoha slowly takes out the keys from her purse, unlocking the building and all the wonderful dimensions it holds within. All the wonderful stories one could escape to lie within their grasp, but in an age of technology, few visit such places.

But Yunoha is not bothered by that thought.

She takes off her trench and hangs it around her chair, then places her purse on her desk, heading towards the vending machine, while trying to tie her unruly hair into a bum. She still has some papers to organise from yesterday, and work never goes better than accompanied by a cup of fresh coffee.

Arranging her brown pencil dress, she looks at her heeled ankle boots while her coffee is served, occasionally playing with the buttons from her shirt. She always dresses up nicely, even if not many people come. It's just, it makes her feel that he might fall in love with her again and again, whenever he looks at her. Wherever he might be.

Yunoha hums to the current song being played on the radio, while looking through the files and putting some books on the shelves. By the time she notices, it's already noon and the next time she checks her wristwatch, it's three in the afternoon. Soon, her regular readers will show up.

And she barely finishes the thought, when the doors open, revealing a couple of young boys, probably in elementary or middle school. Ever since she moved and opened the library, they kept coming on regular basis, even during summer. And Yunoha is more than delighted.

"H-hello! We've come again." A boy speaks from the group and Yunoha turns to them with a soft smile.

"Welcome. What might you be reading today?" She asks cheerfully, and sips from her coffee. Oh, it has gone cold.

As the boys each tell their preferences, Yunoha nods and reminds them to move to a spot with more light and to help themselves with some sweets from her desk. Then, she proceeds on looking through some more papers.

Her daily life is rather dull, truth to be told. The same routine happens each and every time, nothing out of the ordinary ever occurs. The most extraordinary thing she could point out were Zessica visiting her every now and then and the two talking for hours. Now that she's pregnant with the future royalty of Altair, everyone's making a fuss about her leaving the villa, and she hates being confined more than anyone. Not that Yunoha complains, since she's the one having chosen this life.

But there's a point at how much loneliness a person can bear. And at another point, the antidepressants stop having an effect. And at the last point, sanity is overthrown.

Hopefully, Yunoha will not take the following step towards the last point.

The boys' cheerful chuckles wake her from her train of thought and she smiles to herself while shaking her head. Why would she dare to think of such things? The world has become beautiful once again. She was fifteen when Altair was reborn, and now, almost a decade later, she watches over the new generation of Altarians try their best to decipher the long-lost language of so many worlds. Of course, boys are still predominant on Altair, but the women and girls, known as Iguras in the past are considered deities, sort of, since nobody would dare to harm them. Most men are scared to even talk to them.

Something that brings back memories. Jin used to be the same. Whenever Yunoha tried to approach him, to befriend him, he would give her the cold shoulder and stride away, simply because he had no idea how to react to her presence. And as cute and adorable it was back then, as hurtful it has become now.

That mere thought is tearing her apart. But she has to move on, to live in the world he sacrificed himself for. The same world he was supposed to hold her hand in.

Day turns into night and the bloody moon appears on the skies. Yunoha has long shushes the young readers home, since she didn't want them wander the streets by themselves after the sun has set.

After checking everything is in order and having one last look over the shelves and her desk, Yunoha turns off the lights and locks the library. The air is much colder at night, than during the morning hours, so she hugs her trench closer around her figure, thin legs hurrying towards her home. The streets are alit and the townspeople seem lively, livelier at night than during the day, Yunoha notices, so she doesn't feel afraid to walk home. It's a fifteen minute walk anyways.

Yunoha Thrul leads a rather dull life, where nothing ever happ–

The dark, shadowy figure of a man standing in front of her studio apartment's door makes Yunoha flinch to her core. She stops on her tracks, her small body shaking ever so slightly, her mind point blank.

"Yunoha Thrul, we finally meet again." He says with a raspy voice as he turns around, to face her.

And Yunoha's emerald eyes widen twice their usual size – they're normally huge also – and her rosy lips form a surprised 'o' shape at the sight of him. Ever since that final battle against Mikage, he's disappeared, not even headmistress Crea had known where he went. And now, years later, he shows up at her door unannounced. Then again, everything about High Commander Fudo was spontaneous.

Regaining her steady breath, Yunoha walks towards him and her apartment, all the while analyzing him from head to toe. These past years didn't even leave a scratch on him, he looks exactly the same, with that long, brown hair (tied now loosely at the base of his neck) and the flashy clothes.

"It's been a while, High Commander Fudo," she replies sternly, then proceeds on unlocking the door and inviting him in. "I'm afraid I don't have donuts, only some freshly made tea," adding as she closes the door behind them and proceeding on taking off her shoes.

Luckily for her, Yunoha had a pair of unused slippers to give him to wear, though she no longer remembers why she even bought them.

The High Commander makes himself comfortable on the sofa, while Yunoha proceeds on warming up some water for the tea and placing a trail of biscuits in front of him. They're with raisins, since Jin mentioned once how he was in love with them. The High Commander didn't agree, apparently.

"So, what brings you here? How did you even find me? We thought you were gone, all these years." Yunoha begins to say, though she has no idea whether she comes off as a busybody or shameless; maybe both. But she has to start a conversation somehow, no?

The man, however, he doesn't even bother replying, but looks around the apartment. It's a small place, where the kitchen serves as the living room and vice versa, and there's just one bedroom and a bathroom. The place is perfect for a person or a young couple, though Fudo knows it's the first version. For some reason, he cannot picture the girl with emerald eyes in another man's company, other than...

Giving up on an answer, Yunoha rises from the sofa and heads to the kitchen, to turn off the water. She then takes out two mugs, places some herbs in each with some sugar, then pours the hot water in them.

"Would you like some honey?" She then asks politely.

Having gotten no answer, she shrugs curtly and takes the mugs to the coffee table, takes her seat and begins to take some sips. She loves herbal tea, more than any juice or sometimes even coffee. Coffee is for the mornings, tea is for the evenings.

"You look rather unwell," comes his direct affirmation, making Yunoha halt every movement.

All of a sudden, the tea loses its sweet taste. What is she drinking? Water with sand?

"What?" She asks, frowning deeply at him.

Fudo looks at her rather pleadingly then takes the mug and tastes the tea. It has such a rich taste he seriously wants to leave donuts and dedicate his life to tea. Though the wonder lasts ten seconds.

"I take it the antidepressants no longer have an effect, nor do the sleeping pills." He places the mug on the coffee table, looking at her sadly. "Why would you recur to medication?"

This is one of the questions she always dreaded to answer. The doctors asked her, the nurses asked her, the old grandpa from the drugstore asked her. But she couldn't answer them truly. Why would they even ask, in the first place?

Even so, with Fudo, it wouldn't work, and Yunoha knows it all too well. Regardless of what lies were to escape her lips, he'd know it's not the truth. But how can a man like him understand that she cannot fight depression otherwise? What is she supposed to do, what else would keep her warm at night?

A lone tear slips down her bony cheek, disappearing under her chin.

"Because I love him too much," she says, her voice shaking.

The thought of him gone is killing her, has been killing her for the last decade, almost. The only way to keep her sanity was by taking those pills, otherwise she'd long be with him. Though Yunoha knows she cannot do that. She has to keep living for his sake as well, to see the world for him too, to breathe the air in his stead. She knows, so it's tearing her apart.

"Why did you come, High Commander Fudo?" The young woman asks coldly, undoing her long hair, letting it fall over her shoulders and cover her thin back.

Grapes and peaches fill the room, basking in emerald light and resting in a porcelain vase.

Fudo looks at her thoughtfully, then closes his eye and heaves a sigh.

"Most people don't understand that love is the one thing, the one feeling in the universe to go against all rules of logic, physics, everything. Love is neither terrestrial, nor does it depend on time. Love has its own agenda, and the more honest it is, the stronger it becomes. You are living proof of that, though you are just a frail human being. You have your own strengths, Yunoha, but at the end of the day, you're still a heartbroken girl. And if it's a small compensation you desire, I can–" But he is cut off mid-sentence by her sudden outburst.

It might be the first time he's seen Yunoha lose her temper at something, someone, so it does come off as shocking, but Fudo quickly regained his composure.

"I don't want compensations! There's only one thing I want more than anything else in this world, but you can't, and nobody else can give it to me! So please, just leave me be..." tears stream down her face, and this time Yunoha has no intention to hold them back. It's much too cruel for someone to be doing this to her. Yes, she's frail, she's weak, and it doesn't bother her being told so over and over again, since it's the truth. What bothers her, instead, is being reminded that her beloved is gone and she couldn't do a thing to prevent it.

Fudo places a big hand on her small shoulder, instantly calming her. How, not even Yunoha knows.

"I'm also partly responsible for what happened to Jin Muso, since Mikage was after me all along, but, even if it's not the person you remember, a fragment of him was not lost. Those who are alive must die, that is the circle of life. And yet, sometimes exceptions occur, when the curse of death is forced upon certain individuals and their souls shatter before it's ready to pass."

Leaning back against the sofa, he takes out a bloody shard out of his pocket and Yunoha is terrified when recognising it. It's the same shard that was used to, to... But Fudo has not finished talking yet.

"And when that happens, a part remains behind, an alien part of the soul, isolated, with no memories, no feelings, no warmth. Such is the tale of this tiny piece of soul," he says, lifting the bloody shard, only for it to disappear, being replaced by a jewel-like stone, reflecting an all too familiar blond.

Yunoha's eyes widen when she recognises him in the tiny jewel, peacefully sleeping. She thought she might forget how he truly looks like. How silly of her. How could she ever forget him?

"This shard, that Mikage used to take Jin's life with, contains the last fragment of his soul. It's in a deep slumber, though he has aged like everyone else, in a comatose-like state. Yunoha, this will not cover the damage done, but it might prevent future infliction." He finishes his speech, taking her hand and placing the jewel in it.

At the touch with her skin, it seems to shine in the slightest, and shivers race down Yunoha's spine, though it might be just her. I mean, how could miracles exist? Why would such a thing happen to her? It might be just a dream, for all she knows and in the morning, her bubble will break and she'll fall face first onto the cold ground.

And yet, when she looks up to Fudo, wanting to ask more, Yunoha finds herself alone, with the jewel of a sleeping Jin in her hands. With a heavy sigh, she closes her eyes, only to open them a second later and takes one more look at the jewel.

"Can I really believe? For one last time, maybe miracles _are_ real..." She whispers and presses her lips against the coolness of the jewel.

At the same moment, electricity runs through her and the room is filled with a blinding light, white and hot, so that Yunoha slightly falls backwards.

However, the light dispels and seconds later, she is met with something she could have never imagined to come true. The coffee table turned, everything spilled and lemony blond strands of hair covering milky skin, ashy brown eyes staring at her in their outmost beautiful shock.


End file.
